Towns and Cities in Alaska, USA

Alaska

Alaska (49th state) is located in the northwest extremity of the United States West Coast, just across the Bering Strait from Asia. It has an area of 663,268 sq mi and in 2019 had a population of 731,545. The name Alaska is derived from the Aleut word "Aleyska," meaning "great land". Alaska is nicknammed "the Last Frontier". Its capital city is Juneau - located in the Southeast region of Alaska, with a population of 33,277 -, but the largest city in the State is Anchorage.

Temperatures and climate vary dramatically in Alaska, winter is roughly October through March, although temperatures and daylight vary from region to region. Coastal areas are more temperate.

Alaska is home to many mammals besides the iconic polar bear. Other bears include black and brown bears, and other large predators like lynxes and wolves. Many horned herbivores live in Alaska as well, including deer, caribou, moose, elk, bison and reindeer. Though the growing season is short, hardy plants and flowers brighten the Alaskan landscape.

Alaska Natives, who make up 15 percent of the state's population, maintain many traditions, such as the mushing, the whaling, subsistence hunting and fishing, and old ways of making crafts and art. But while Native culture, as a whole, may define much of Alaska's appearance, the state contains a broad mixture of cultures. In Anchorage, for example, the school district has found that its student body comes from homes that speak 83 languages.